Windable reels for compactly storing flexible garden hose are well known. Rewind of garden hose reels is normally accomplished by manually turning the reel. Alternatively, a motor can be used to rewind a hose onto a supporting reel as is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,217,738. Manual winding is both tiresome and inconvenient. Motorized winding, although not tiresome, is expensive, requires a power source, and adds weight to the reel assembly. A mechanically powered, inexpensive, and lightweight automatic rewind mechanism for rewinding a garden hose would be a decided advantage.